6th Street SE to be repaved

The Dyersville City Council’s decision to hire someone with a civil engineering degree for the public works director position is beginning to pay off.

In his “former life,” John Wandsnider worked for 21-and-a-half-years at engineering firm IIW. Using his skill set, he’s saved the City a significant amount in design fees for the 6th Street SE resurfacing project by putting together the vast majority of the project plans himself.

The paving for the project will use asphalt and the existing pavement will be milled and reprocessed for the base material, Wandsnider said. For the two blocks slated to be paved along 6th Street (11th to 13th Avenue), the estimated cost is $237,000.

New curb and gutter will be placed on the east side of the road and storm and sewer working is already underway. The project also includes a five-foot sidewalk being placed on the east side of the road, with about four feet of grass between the sidewalk and street.

“This document actually represents the first engineered construction plans (produced) by the City of Dyersville, so to speak,” Wandsnider told the council. “It took some effort to put this together.”

At IIW, Wandsnider said he had plenty of support staff to draw upon, but to put this plan together, he had to do most of it on his own, relying on standard specifications for urban design put out by the State.

“We’re confident with the design and confident we’re going to get some good contractors and bids,” he said.

Wandsnider said bidding will go out in late August with a September/October construction schedule for the project. Depending on the exact timing, Beckman’s Sept. 20 Homecoming parade may need to be rerouted.

In other news, the Council:

• Accepted the resignation of Assistant Police Chief Mike Comer, who recently accepted a new position in Peosta. Austin Zuercher was promoted to assistant police chief with a salary of $58,000 and Molly Dupont was named police captain with a $26-per-hour rate. Brent Schroeder also received a three-year contract as police chief at a base salary of $80,000.

• Accepted the resignation of Jeff Riesberg, who served on the Fire Department for 21 years, and the resignation of Robert Hayes, who served on the F.D. for one year but has moved from the area. The council approved the appointments of Chris McAllister and Michael Fitzgerald to the F.D.

• Approved an agreement between the City and Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad Company that will accommodate a long-discussed pedestrian crossing over the railroad along the east side of Hwy 136. The crossing is slated to eventually facilitate the connection of the Heritage Trail trailhead with the city’s trail system.